The Harper's Bazaar special projects director dishes on which young designers she adores, what she looks for in clothes, and what fall fashion trend she just can't abide.

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BAZAAR: What qualities do you look for in designers, and what are you focusing on when you judge the Harper's BAZAAR challenges during The Fashion Show?

Laura Brown: Confidence and originality. It's easy to design something that you've seen around and it's easy to be influenced by what you see in the stores, but I'm looking for somebody who has a really keen aesthetic sense, somebody who is not influenced by what is going on around them. Even if it's a bit off, I prefer that it be original than following what everybody else is doing.

BAZAAR: Do you recall, in your years covering fashion, certain pieces or shows by up-and-coming designers that really inspired you?

LB: Oh, yeah! I lived in London from 1997-1999, and I would go to the Alexander McQueen shows. They were his first, early shows in London, which were like nothing I'd ever seen — they're still famous. In one, he had models walking down volcanic ash runways. In another, Shalom Harlow wore a white dress and was sprayed with paint by a huge robot. It was amazing! It was better than any art installation, any concert, because it was both. Obviously he was the biggest show in London then, but it prefaced how big he's become now. He's never dropped that amazing showmanship married with beautifully, beautifully cut clothes. And again, this is another very London thing, but I went to Matthew Williamson's first show in 1997, and he was clever because he got Kate Moss and Jade Jagger and Helena Christensen to model for him.

BAZAAR: How did he do that?

LB: Because he was mates with them all. And he's always been mates with all the good girls. He's always been his own best publicist. And there were only 14 girls, or 15 girls, and they had on these beautiful jewel-colored outfits, and they looked like butterflies. And I just remember thinking, how pretty! And they were great girls. It was such a moment, you know what I mean? He really broke out with that.

I remember when I first moved to New York, I just loved the Helmut Lang show! He was so distinctive as well, and it crystallized New York fashion for me.

BAZAAR: Have you recently bought any pieces by obscure or new designers?

LB: It's a recession; I haven't bought much designer anything! No, I think the last thing I bought might have been a Christopher Kane for Topshop, but he's not that obscure. Oh, I bought Marios Schwab shoes, which are super cool. They're buckle-y brown, bondage-y looking things. Everybody's doing a bondage-y shoe right now. I bought some Antonio Berardi wool leggings in Miami — I don't know why I bought wool leggings in Miami, but there you go. I've got these super-cool American Apparel T-shirts. The other day I bought five. The sleeves roll up perfectly. And I get such a kick out of the fact that I got five of these T-shirts and I can wear them with everything! So these may not be independent designers, but they're independent in their own spirit.

Another designer who I love (and is, of course, established), is Roland Mouret. I spent nearly my entire GDP on ordering from his collection because his dresses are amazing and they last forever! They make your body look killer — it's like one big Spanx.

So I buy from all these lines, which are known but may have a very specific clientele, a specific type of woman who buys it.

BAZAAR: Do you have any advice for young designers who hope to one day be featured in the pages of Harper's BAZAAR?

LB: Do your time. And learn to sew, I think, is number one. It's clearly important that you network and know how to market yourself, but if you're at all the parties and what you produce isn't good, then it doesn't matter how many fabulous people you know. You need to dovetail both. Anybody who is ambitious in a creative industry will be out there. They will be talking to people and they will be making themselves known. You're not going to just work in a garret and hope that somebody comes to see your show under a bridge somewhere. You'd be very lonely.

BAZAAR: Who or what are your fashion inspirations, whether it's designers, or art, or pop culture?

LB: I'm a little bit of a tomboy. I like anything jeans-y, with a heel. I love McQueen. I barely own any of it, but I really love seeing it. I love Dries Van Noten because I think he really cares about women, and I think that's important. I love Balenciaga, especially this season when they softened up a little and came back from space! You know, just beautiful, elegant clothing.

It used to be cool to take a trip to London and I'd come back with my Topshop stuff and everybody would be like "Oh my god! Where'd you get it?" There's a store in London called COS that's super cool. It's like cheap Marni — amazing.

What else? I think its funny seeing what people pick up from each season. I tend to stay pretty constant in what I wear. I like a red shoe and a blue dress or jeans and a tank top. I spend my money on shoes more than anything else. I'm lucky enough that I know some designers who will lend me clothes. You know what I mean? Being a gal from Sydney, it's still kind of exciting for me. I can appreciate something like McQueen or Galliano's couture collection for Dior, even though I have very simple taste.

BAZAAR: What fall trends are you most excited about? And which trends do you wish would just go away?

LB: Fashion girls are going to kill me, but I don't care for harem pants at all. Why add to your rear, I say?

I like the tough chic, but only in parts. You know, not completely up and down like you're some sort of gangster.

I loved, loved, loved Derek Lam's fall show — it was my favorite of the whole season. That gold dress with one shoulder he did was so beautiful. Every single piece in that show, I could wear. He made beautiful clothes that real women wanted to wear and that is a skill that so few people have.

I love YSL. I like the waist and the whole French, kinky strictness of it. And all the girls are wearing those shoes, I love those shoes. You can just have jeans and a T-shirt, and put on a pair of YSL shoes and you'll be rockin' it.

What else? Neon. It looks good on someone else, and it's great to look at, but not on me. I think it's pretty badass to make a pink, neon coat. Great! Especially in times like this: indulge in fantasy.

Oh, and Lanvin. Every girl should have a Lanvin cocktail dress. It will make you feel like a little French coquette. What I like about it is that Alber Elbaz can make all women look gorgeous and still be kind to her. That's what Roland Mouret and Alber do because they love women. And I love them.